Association study between STAT4 polymorphisms and susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Background Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 4 (STAT4) is a transcription factor, which plays roles in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Several genetic studies investigated the association of STAT4 gene polymorphisms and SLE risk in different populations, but their findings are incongruous. Here, we provided a comprehensive meta-analysis of all studies meeting the inclusion criteria to reveal the exact association between STAT4 gene polymorphisms and SLE risk. Methods We conducted a meta-analysis of all relevant studies published up to August 2017. We searched electronic databases, including Scopus, ISI Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and PubMed to find studies investigating the STAT4 polymorphisms and SLE in different populations. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to analyze association between STAT4 polymorphisms and SLE. Results According to the inclusion criteria, 19 articles comprising 8522 cases and 11199 healthy subjects for STAT4 rs7574865 SNP and 6 articles comprising 1105 cases and 5106 healthy subjects for STAT4 rs7601754 SNP were included in the final meta-analysis. This meta-analysis revealed significant associations between both SNPs and SLE risk. While rs7574865 increased the risk of SLE (OR = 1.559, 95% CI = 1.473–1.644), rs7601754 was associated with decreased SLE susceptibility (OR = 0.679, 95% CI = 0.610–0.747). Conclusions In summary, this study reported association between rs7574865 and increased risk of SLE, although rs7601754 indicated association with decreased SLE risk.